Pasta Salad Easy & Italian
This pasta salad will become your summer time bestie! Our Pasta Salad Easy & Italian is so simple and delicious that you better make extra, because you’ll find it hard to resist. In fact, you may dig in before it ever makes it to the table. It’s that easy and delicious.
Hi Friends!
Don't Miss out! Subscribe Now!
By joining our community you’ll receive our free Meal Planner, Grocery List and as a bonus we’ll also send you our two favorite recipes!
Quick and Easy Dressing
This is your basic Italian ‘salad’ dressing. We use dried herbs and have swapped them out for fresh if we have some. It’s not only good with this dish, but with your garden green salads, too. Pretty versatile, right!
We use Apple Cider Vinegar, but, don’t hesitate to swap it out for red wine vinegar, balsamic vinegar or another favorite of yours. We’ve done it a time or two and especially when we are out of ACV (apple cider vinegar),
Video Tutorial - Salad Dressing
It’s fairly simple; using a medium size mixing bowl or large mason jar, with lid of course, add the wet ingredients then the dry ingredients, and stir or shake to thoroughly mix all the ingredients. Very simple!
This dressing is so easy that a video tutorial may not have been needed. But, if you’re new to the kitchen, we’ve got your back and that’s why we taped the video.
Photography
You all know the photo enthusiast in me ‘loves’ this part of our posts and that’s sharing my photos with you all!
I hope these images will tease you into giving it a try, visually tantalizing so you imagine sitting at your table eating it and of course to encourage you!
Recipe
Pasta Salad Italian Dressing
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup Olive Oil
- 1/4 cup Apple Cider Vinegar
- 2 tbs Lemon Juice
- 1 tsp Dried Oregano
- 1 tsp Dried Italian Seasoning
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1/4 tsp Pepper
- 1/4 tsp Red Pepper Flakes
- 1 tsp Honey
- 2 cloves Garlic finely chopped or minced
Instructions
- Add liquid ingredients to a medium size mixing bowl, whisk to combine.
- Add-in dried ingredients and minced garlic, whisk to combine.
- Chill dressing in the refrigerator.
Easy Italian Pasta Salad
I feel there are two kinds of pasta salads, one is served hot and mixed with a sauce. Just like the sauce you’ll find in our Creamy Chicken Pasta recipe. The veggie ingredients are sauteed as is the meat. Then you add them to your hot al dente pasta, top with sauce and stir to mix. A great fall or winter meal and perhaps, the true Italian pasta salad my ancestors made.
This is your delicious summer Pasta Salad Easy & Italian recipe. All the ingredients are chilled, the veggies are raw and the pasta is cooked, drained and cool.
Let's Start with the Pasta
Pasta is pasta, right! Well, not for this Italian Girlie. Oh, lol. But, seriously, start with a large pot of water, let it come to a rapidly rolling boil, add salt to your water (this is the only time you should salt your pasta), next add in your favorite pasta, we used tri colored Rotini and cook for 12-15 minutes depending on the type of pasta you’re using. We usually recommend cooking until al dente. But, here if you go a little past that, it’ll be fine. Cold pasta tends to have a firmer bite, anyway. Drain well and add it into a large mixing bowl and set aside.
The Veggie Part of This Easy Recipe
This delicious recipe is full of garden fresh vegetables, most can be found at your local farmers market or fruit and veggie stand.
We included bell pepper, yellow onion, cherry tomatoes and artichoke hearts. The artichokes hearts can be packed in water or marinated. Our store was out of the marinated variety, my preferred choice, so we swapped it out for packed in water. Keep in mind if you used marinated you’ll need several jars, because the jars are smaller in size.
I don’t enjoy eating big chunks of veggies. I like them thinly sliced and bite sized. But, you slice them up any ole way you like.
Moving on
You’ll be delighted by our final ingredients which includes delicious cheese. Parmesan and Mozzarella! Your parmesan cheese can be grated or shredded, it’s your choice. Next up, Mozzarella cheese…Our store was running low on many of our preferred recipe items. For this recipe we substituted our usual choice, Galbani Mozzarella Cheese Fresca Marinated Mozzarella rounds for plain ole mozzarella. Thinly sliced, of course.
We also, substituted sliced black olives for Kalamata olives. Those delicious Greek olives. What?? Greek olives in an Italian Salad! Yep, they are so yummy and add so much to this recipe.
Diced Salami was our meat of choice. But, you have options.. pepperoni, Soppressata, and Prosciutto. There are other options that are less Italian, if that’s what you prefer, for this Pasta Salad Easy & Italian recipe.
In the bowl
Mixing bowl that is. All of these delicious ingredients are now ready to add into your pasta filled mixing bowl. Using a few larger serving spoons toss it up as you mix all of the ingredients together. Top with Salad dressing and toss again to thoroughly coat every ingredient. This Pasta Salad Easy & Italian is best served chilled.
Video Tutorial - Pasta Salad
Our video tutorials are here to help fill in any gaps or questions you may have. Of course, you can drop questions in our comment area or private message us. We’d love to help, just ask us.
Photography To Inspire You
Our Pasta Salad Easy & Italian Recipe
Pasta Salad, Easy & Italian
Ingredients
- 1 12 oz Box of Tri-colored Rotini Spiral Pasta Or your favorite pasta. Cooked Al'dente, between 12-15 minutes, drain well and set aside.
- 1/2 Large Bell Pepper, finely sliced We used green.
- 1/2 Large yellow onion, finely diced
- 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1/2 cup shreaded or grated parmesan cheese
- 1/2 cup Thinly sliced mozzerealla cheese, or rounds No need to slice the rounds.
- 15 oz Can of Artichoke hearts, packed in water Drain and slice each in half if they are overly large. I've also used Marinated Artichoke hearts. I drain the liquid and add it into the salad dressing.
- 1 can Sliced black olives We prefer Kalamata Olives. (At the time of this post the grocery stores were out of stock of Kalamata Olives.)
- 1/2 cup Diced Salami Note: You can substite the salami with chicken, pepperoni or a meat you prefer.
Instructions
- Cook pasta, al dente. Drain well and place into a large mixing bowl.
- Add all of the remaining ingredients into your large mixing bowl. Using several large spoons, toss to mix thoroughly.
- Add 1/2 to 3/4 cup of our Italian dressing, toss to thoroughly coat all of the salad ingredients. Or you can substitute our dressing for your favorite pre-made store-bought Italian dressing.
- Best when pre-chilled for one hour prior to serving and enjoying!
Notes
Around The Table - Pasta Salad
This is a new segment and we’ve moved our recipe tasting here along with tablescapes tips to help and inspire you. Please let us know what you think!
Find Us On Social Media
Foto Visualista is part of the social media scene. Please add and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube and Twitter. Pin our posts, tweet them and share them! Follow us to stay current and share us with your friends! We’ve made this super easy just click on the Sharing is Caring icons to follow us!
Subscribe
Join our community by subscribing to our blog. By subscribing you’ll be notified of new blog posts, tips, products and helpful free gifts. Right now by joining our community you’ll receive our free Meal Planner, Grocery List and as a bonus we’ll also send you our two favorite recipes!
The Meal Planner is one we’ve used for years and truthfully we’d be lost without it. Our Grocery List is so helpful. Just print it, hang it on your refrigerator and easily create a weekly shopping list. Plus, two of our Favorite Recipes!
Thank You
We are grateful for your interest, suggestions, comments and especially your visits here on the Blog. Be sure to add your name to our email subscription list!
Above all we appreciate you! We couldn’t do this without you and look forward to seeing you around the blog, very soon!!!
